By Josh and Todd

Supernovae


supernova_sn2006gy.jpgWhat they are Supernovae is when a sun begins to destroy itself. This causes a massive implosion called a supernova (plural: supernovae) and the suns immense gravity is focussed to the centre and this causes a black hole which will be fully explained later in this document. When there is a supernova all of the planets that depend on that star die, if they were not destroyed in the implosion, or the black hole.

How they happen

When a star's hydrogen has burnt out it sucks itself into its core then in a split second it implodes which makes a black hole because the suns immense gravity is forced into a tiny point, causing a black hole (for more information on black holes look up Black holes). This so quickly that very few have been spotted from Earth, and you wouldn't notice it unless you had a telescope and were looking in the same spot until one happened. The bigger the star, the more chance of it becoming a black hole.

Power of a supernova

Supernovae are so powerful because of all the gravity that a massive star possesses. For a star to be destroyed would take an enormous amount of force, making this implosion massive. As pictured the supernova explodes outward, and then comes inward in a devastating blow, destroying itself.

Types of supernovas
Type 1: The light curves exhibit a sharp maximum (reaching about 10 billion solar luminosity) and die off gradually. They are formed from a white dwarf which accumulates mass to exceed the maximum mass the electron degeneracy pressure can support (1.4 solar masses).

Type 2: Have a broader peak at maximum (emitting about 1 billion solar luminosity's) and die away more rapidly. They are formed from the collapse of the iron core of a dying star. Also, it will dim irregularly after the explosion.

The result of them

When a star exploded it creates a black hole the destroyer of worlds